Wafer shield for thermostatically controlled oil brooders



July 26, 1932. HILL WAFER SHIELD FOR THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED OIL BROODERS Filed March 16, 1931 igg Imin Cir Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEWEY H. HILL, OF MACOMB, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GLOBE AMERICAN CORPORATION, OF KOKOMO, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA WAFER SHIELD FOR T'I-IERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLED OIL BBOODERS Application filed March 16, 1931. Serial No. 522,980.

My invention relates to thermostatic mechanisms for controlling the supply of fluid fuel to a burner in response to variations 1n the temperature of the air at a point distant from the burner. In its general Objects my invention aims to provide simple and efiective means for shielding the thermally responsive member of such a mechanism from an excessive or irregular cooling efiect of air adjacent to it, and for increasing the conveyance of heat from the burner to the thermally responsive member to such an extent as to permit this member to be disposed where it otherwise would not have the desired responsiveness to temperature changes in the air adjacent to it and where the valve mechanism associated with this member would not be conveniently accessible.

In using a brooder for the raising of chicks, it is highly important for the welfare of these chicks that the temperature under the hover or hood of the brooder be kept within a restricted range, regardless of variations in the general temperature of the brooder house or other room in which the brooder is disposed.

When the brooder includes as its heating member an oil burner or a gas burner and also includes a hover, the needed fuel control is commonly secured by using a fuelsupply valve which varies the flow of oil in response to the temperature of the air adjacent to a thermally responsive member.

However, such an automatic control is only adequate when the thermally responsive member is not unduly subjected to variations in the temperature of the air outside the hover and when this said member can be disposed at a point where the heating effect of the burner will normally keep the thermally responsive member within the general temperature range in which the said member promptly responds to temperature changes.

In practice, the just recited conditions have not readily been obtainable, for the following reasons:

It has long been customary in poultryraisers appliances to use so-called thermoe static wafers as the thermally responsive members of temperature regulating mechanisms, namely hollow wafers formed of thin and resilient metal, and with each wafer containing a small amount of ether in proportion to its interior capacity. Since commercial ether boils at about 95 degrees Fahrenheit and begins to vaporize at a somewhat lower temperature, such ether-containing wafers will only be sensitive in their ,efiective temperature-controlling action if they can be disposed where the heating effect of the controlled burner will maintain the temperature of the wafer within a limited temperature range which includes the vaporizing and boiling'points of the ether.

However, if such an ether-containing Wafer is disposed under the hover of an oil-burn ing brooder which has its hover formed (in the usual manner) for downwardly deflecting a considerable portion of the heat of the burner, this wafer is apt to be continuously at a temperature above the range within which the wafer expands and contacts speedily with changes in the temperature, and in practice the temperature of an ether-filled water when disposed under such a hover often reaches the point where the pressure of the vaporized ether within the water will explode (or at least rupture) the wafer and annul its usefulness.

Moreover, if the entire fuel control valve mechanism is disposed under the hover, this mechanism cannot readily be reached for any needed adjustment without first raising the hover and thereby unduly cooling the chicks under the hover.

And if the valve portion of the mechanism is disposed outside the hover the needed connections to a water under the hood and the separate support required for the wafer add considerably to the cost.

On the other hand, when the wafer is disposed outside the hover, the cooling efiect of the outer airparticularly if there is any draft in the room-is apt to lower the temperature of the wafer to such an extent that the water will not respond to an increase in the temperatureuntil the temperature of the air under the hover has risen considerably beyond the maximum temperature which is advisable for the welfare of the chicks under the hover.

My present invention aims to overcome all of the above recited objects by providing simple means which will readily permit such a thermostatic wafer (or other suitable thermally responsive member) to be maintained within its responsive range of temperature even when this wafer is disposed outside the hood or hover of a brooder. Furthermore, my invention aims to accomplish this purpose by simple means which can readily be supported by the fuel-control mechanism when the latter is also disposed outside the hover of the brooder.

More particularly, my invention aims to provide simple and easily attached means which will accomplish three desirable purposes in connection with a thermostatic wafer:

Raising the temperature of the wafer above that which it would ordinarily have in a given position, preventing decided differences in temperature between the two faces of such a wafer when one face thereof is directed toward the source of heat, and shielding the wafer against an undue cooling effect of air which is outside the more intense warming .action of this source of heat.

Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawing, in which drawing Fig. 1is a fragmentary front elevation of an oil-burning brooder and a thermostatically controlled fuel supply arrangement,

' with a portion of the hover of the brooder broken away, showing the use of an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlargement of a right-hand portion of Fig. 1, with the wafer-shield and a part of the body of the fuel-control valve shown in vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the wafershield shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of another shape of wafer-shield, this shield being shown in axial and vertical section.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a Wafershield suitable for use according to my invention and formed for attachment to an edge portion of a hover, this hover portion being shown in dotted lines.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the oil supply pipe 1 is connected through the body 2 of a control valve to a consumption pipe 3 leading to the burner 1 of a brooder which includes a heating drum 5 and a frustro-conical hover 6, this hover having its outer edge considerably above the floor 18. The control mechanism also includes the usual valve plunger 7 projecting beyond the valve body 2 and engaging one arm 8 of a lever pivoted on a bracket 2 A projecting from the valve body 2 toward the hover. The companion arm 8 A of the lever carries an adjusting screw 9 which screw presses at its outward end against the inward face of a twin-wafer thermostatic member 10, the terms outward and inward being here used with reference to the brooder.

This twin-wafer member has the usual outwardly directed stem 10 A which is threaded into a lug 11 on the valve body, so that the wafer member and lever are operatively interposed between the valve body and the plunger 7 for causing an axial expansion of the wafer member to press the plunger inwardly.

When the just described oil control arrangement is supportedas by legs 12so that the thermostatic (wafer) member is outward of the hover, this member is largely outside the area within which heat radiated from the drum 5 is deflected downwardly. Consequently, even the inwardly directed face of the wafer member 10 will normally be warmed to a less extent than the hover; and the outward face 10 B of this member will be kept at a still lower temperature than the said inward face owing to its exposure to the cooler air surrounding the hover, which cooling effect will also vary with the rate at which the cooler air moves toward the outward wafer face.

As the result of this considerable temperature difference between the inward and out- Ward faces of the wafer member, the general temperature of a thermostatic member positioned outside of the hover would ordinarily be so much lower than the temperature of the air under the hover that the hover air temperature would have to exceed the desired ,range before the wafer member will expand to effect a fuel-throttling movement of the valve plunger 7. To avoid this, I provide the wafer-shield shown separately in Fig. 3, which comprises a sheet metal plate bent twice so that its medial portion 13 extends parallel to, but outward from, the wafer member 10, while its upper portion 13 A freely overhangs the wafer member and extends toward the heat-radiating drum 1, and the lower shield portion 13 B slopes downwardly toward the vertical axis 16 of the brooder.

With the axis of the wafer member horizontal, so that the outward face of this member is approximately vertical as in Fig. 2, the wafer shield can readily be supported in its effective position by providing its medial portion 13 with a perforated boss 13 B whch can be clamped between the wafer member 10 and the lug 11 of the valve body, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the threaded stem 10 A of the wafer member extends through this boss to cooperate with the said clamping in holding the wafer shield in a rigidly supporting position. When the valve mechanism i ncludes a generally upright lever extending considerably higher than the thermostatic wafer member, I also provide the upper wing 13 A. of this member with a slot 13 C through which this lever will freely extend, thereby permitting the valve mechanism to be disposed close to the edgeof the hover 6.

With the shield thus constructed and supported, the medial portion 13 of the shield effectively shields the outward face B of the wafer member from air currents directed toward the heating member of the hover (or toward the left in Figs. 1 and 2), while the two wings 13 A and 13 B of the shield cooperate in preventing a direct flow of cool air upwardly from the floor through the space between the wafer member and the upright medial portion 13 of the shield. At the same time, heat radiated from the burner and drum of the brooder against the lower wing 13 B of the wafer shield will be deflected upwardly, thereby causing warmed air to flow upward (by convection) past the outward face 10 B of the wafer member;

In practice, I desirably also make the upper Wing 13 A of such a length that it will partly underhang the hover, thereby causing the free end portion of this wing to intercept some of the heat deflected downwardly by the hover 6'. By doing so, I cause this intercepted heat to increase the temperature of the shield by directly conducting such heat to the outward face of the wafer member through the said boss in the shield.

Since the lengths of the two wings ofthe wafer shield can easily be varied without materially affecting the cost of this simple sheet metal punching, I can readily secure the eX- tent of additional warmth which is needed for making such a thermostatic wafer member highly responsive to temperature changes within the desired temperature range, while permitting the control valve mechanism to be disposed at such adistance from the edge of the hover that temperature range during the normal operation of the brooder. lVith the entire control mechanism thus disposed outside the hover, it will be obvious from Fig. 2 that the usual lever-stop screw 14 is conveniently accessible and that the wafer-pressing screw 9 also can readily be reached to permit an adjusting of the mechanism or a replacing of the wafers, so that the operator of the brooder can speedily attend to any needed adjustments or replacements without raising or removing the hover.

However, while I have heretofore, described my wafer-shield as formed from a generally flat plate, I do not wish to be l mited to these or other details of the construction and arrangement thus disclosed, since many changes might be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the ap- 50 pended claims.

For example, Fig. 4 shows a wafer shield 15 consisting in general of a sheet metal bowl concaved toward the axis of the brooder, the

bowl being of sufficient depth for completely 65 housing the wafer member and for projectupper wing 17 of such a shield with fingers 17 A adapted to be fastened to the edge portion of a hover 6, as shown in Fig. 5, in which case the medial portion 17 B of the shield will merely require a central perforation 17 C of sufficient sizes so that the valve body lug- 11 can extend through it.

Moreover, I no not wish to be limited to the use of my invention in connection with a thermally responsive member of the wafer type, since the air-shielding and air-warmmg effect of my shield on such a member, as well as the direct conveying of heat to such a member from some heated part of a fluidconsuming heating appliance wouldobviously be the same regardless of the nature of the thermally responsive member.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an oil-burning brooder, a hover supported with its outer edge spaced from a floor,

a burner within the hover, an oil-supply pipe a leading to the burner; a thermostatic mechanism controlling the flow of oil through the said pipe and including a thermally responsive member disposed outside of and adjacent to and in non-heat conducting relation to the hover; and a substantially inperforate shield supported by the said mechanism having a portion thereof outward of and extending substantially parallel to the. outer face of the said member, for shielding the said member against the cooling action of air moving toward the burner.

2. In an oil-burning brooder, an assemblage as per claim 1, in which the shield also includes a second portion under-hanging the said member.

3. In an oil-burning brooder, an assemblage as per claim 1, in which the shield also includes a second portion underhanging the said member and sloping downwardly from the aforesaid portion toward the burner.

4;. In an oil-burning brooder, an assemblage as per claim 1, in which the shield also includes a part overhanging the said member and extending beyond the said member toward the burner.

5. In an oil-burning brooder, an assemblage as per claim 1, in which the shield also includes a part extending toward the axis of the breeder below and beyond the adjacent edge of the hover.

6. In an oil-burning brooder, an assemblage as per claim 1, in which the shield also includes a part extending toward the axis of the brooder below and beyond the adjacent edge of the hover; and in which the first named portion of the shield has a forwardly embossed portion engaging the outer face of the said member.

7. In a brooder, a hover, a burner under the hover, a valve governing the supply of fuel to the burner, a thermally responsive member disposed adjacent to the lower edge of the hover and controlling the valve, the said member being freely spaced from the hover and at less elevation than the lower edge of the hover, and a shield supported outward of and adjacent to the said member for shielding the said member against air currents directed toward the burner.

8. In combination, a brooder including a fluid burner and also including a hover having its outer ends elevated above the floor; control means disposed outside of and freely spaced from the said hover for controlling the supply of fluid to the burner. the said means including a valve and also including a thermally responsive member operatively connected to the valve and disposed outside the hover and at a less elevation than the said outer edge of the hover, and unitary means for conveying heat to the said member from the heated air under the hover and for shielding the said member from air moving toward the burner.

9. In combination, a brooder including a fiuid'burner and also including a hover having its outer edge elevated above the floor; control means disposed outside of and freely spaced from the said hover for controlling the supply of fluid to the burner, the said means including a valve and also including a thermally responsive member operatively connected to the valve and disposed outside the hover and at a less elevation than the said outer edge of the hover, and a shield supported adjacent to the thermally responsive member; the said shield comprising upper and lower portions respectively overhanging and underhanging the said member, and an intermediate portion connecting the said. upper and lower portions and spaced outwardly from the said member.

10. In a fluid-burning brooder, a hover supported with its outer edge spaced from a floor, a burner within the hover, a fluid-supply pipe leading to the burner; a valve mechanism controlling the flow of oil through the said pipe and including a thermally responsive valve-operating member disposed outside of and at lower elevation than the outer edge of the hover; shielding means adjacent to the said member for preventing a direct upward flow of air from the fioor past the outward face of the said member, and single means for supporting the thermostatic member and the shield from the valve mechanism.

11. The combination with a heater and a hover overhanging an annular space around the heater, and with heater-regulating means including a thermally responsive member disposed outside the said hover-overhung space and freely spaced from the hover, of single means for conducting heat from the warmed air under the hover to the outward face of the said member, and for shielding the said outward face from air currents directed toward the latter face.

12. The combination with a heater and a hover overhanging an annular space around the heater, and with heater-regulating means including a thermally responsive member dis posed outside the said hover-overhung space and freely spaced from the hover, of a shield having a portion thereof extending into the freely spaced from the hover and disposed outside the said hover-overhung space and at less elevation than the lower edge of the hover, of a shield having a portion thereof extending into the said space and having a second portion extending outward of and substantially parallel to the outward face of the said member to intercept air currents directed toward the said outward face, the shield also including a part connecting the said second portion to a relatively small part of the outward face portion of the thermally responsive member.

14. The combination with a heater and a hover overhanging an annular space around the heater, and with heater-regulating means including a thermally responsive member disposed outside the said hover-overhung space and lower than the lower edge of hover, of a heat-conducting member having a part extending into the said space and having another part in heat-conducting relation to the said member.

15. The combination with a heater and a hover overhanging an annular space around the heater, and with heater-regulating means including a thermally responsive member disposed outside the said hover-overhung space and lower than the lower edge of hover, of a heat conducting member having a part extending into the said space and having an other part in heat-conducting relation to the outwardly directed face of the said member.

16. The combination with a brooder comprising an oil-burning heater, and with a hover overhanging the heater and having its lower edge spaced above a floor, of heater control means comprising: a valve controlling the fiow of oil to the heater, a thermostatic valve-actuating member disposed be tween the valve and the heater and having DEWEY H. HILL. 

